Department for Transport

A1

lord beith: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 7 February (HL Deb, col 1592), and in the light of the comments by the Chief Executive of Highways England on 22 March that they will be publishing their delivery plan update in June, whether they plan to review the timetable for the improvements to the A1 north of Morpeth.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Highways England continues to investigate options to improve the benefits and reduce the costs of schemes. This follows the normal processes to achieve value for money for the tax-payer, which is required for all government spending on infrastructure projects. This work may involve refining the scope and design of schemes and more time may be needed to assess them. Highways England will update their Delivery Plan in June laying out the programme for the 2017-18 and they expect to deliver all of the required work.

Railways: Bus Services

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 March (HL6062), whether they will consider substituting bus services at less busy times for passenger train services, in order to release capacity to operate more freight trains.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The specification and provision of rail replacement ‎ services is a commercial and operational matter for the operator and Network Rail. If a proposal were to be brought forward by the train operator and Network Rail, we would consider this matter carefully. No proposal has however been submitted.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Raci Bilici

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Turkey for the release of Raci Bilici, chairman of the Diyarbakir branch of the Human Rights Association of Turkey, who was arrested on 15 March.

baroness anelay of st johns: ​We have been informed been that Raci Bilici was released from detention on 21 March 2017.

Bulgaria: Deportation

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making representations to the government of Bulgaria about the forced return of refugee children to Afghanistan.

baroness anelay of st johns: Her Majesty's Government has not made any such representations to the Government of Bulgaria.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU Enlargement

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they are giving to give Bosnia and Herzegovina to prepare for its acceptance as a candidate country to join the EU.

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any issues holding back the acceptance of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a candidate country to join the EU, including relating to constitutional and legal reform; and what assistance they are giving as a result.

baroness anelay of st johns: The Government remains committed to driving reform, embedding stability and addressing shared challenges, such as security and migration, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). At the 20 September 2016 General Affairs Council, the EU agreed that the Commission should issue a questionnaire to BiH authorities to assess the country's readiness to be granted candidate country status. That process is continuing. We will continue to support the reforms required through our bilateral engagement (including approximately £6.63 million in programme assistance in financial year 2016-17), in order to ensure BiH becomes a more stable, secure and prosperous country.

Department for International Development

St Helena: Overseas Aid

lord shutt of greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the process by which they determine the level of the annual revenue support grant to St Helena.

lord shutt of greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation and engagement they have with members of the St Helena Council prior to decisions being made on the amount of UK Government support which will be provided for the forthcoming financial year.

lord shutt of greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when determining the annual revenue support grant to be allocated to St Helena, how much time is given to the St Helena Council to consider the local taxation that it will need to raise; and what representations they have received regarding the adequacy of the length of time given.

lord shutt of greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement in their policy paper, 2010 to 2015 government policy: UK Overseas Territories, that the reasonable assistance needs of overseas territories "are a first call on the UK’s international development budget", why the St Helena Council had not been informed, as of 30 March, how much its annual revenue support grant for 2017–18 will be; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the timing of the funding decision on the ability of the Council to make financial plans.

lord bates: The process to determine the level of UK Government financial support to St Helena for 2017/18 has followed standard DFID procedures. It began during November 2016 when the St Helena Government (SHG) provided budget forecasts and DFID officials visited the island for intense discussions of the budget proposals. Elected Members took an active role throughout these discussions.A revised budget from SHG in January provided more detailed and prioritised spending projections. Following internal quality assurance Ministers approved the level of DFID’s contribution to the budget on 30 March 2017. This approval was relayed to SHG Officials on 31 March.Throughout the process DFID officials were in regular contact with their SHG counterparts. Financial Aid makes an important contribution to the long term growth and development of St Helena.The UK Government has a duty to ensure value for taxpayers’ money as it meets its international commitments.

Department for Education

University Technical Colleges

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which universities are partners in university technical colleges; and which technical specialisms those universities support.

lord nash: There are 48 open UTCs. The attachment lists their technical specialism and their university sponsors. The universities support the specialisms in a range of ways. 



48 UTCs
(Word Document, 35.83 KB)

University Technical Colleges

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to encourage more universities to become involved in the university technical colleges programme.

lord nash: We outlined in the Schools that Work for Everyone consultation our proposals for universities having a greater involvement in the establishment and sponsorship of schools including UTCs. The consultation ended on 12 December 2016. The results of the consultation and the department’s response will be published on GOV.UK in Spring 2017.We have awarded a grant to the Baker Dearing Educational Trust to provide advice, guidance and support to universities and others wishing to submit applications to establish University Technical Colleges (UTCs).

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Households Below Average Income statistics revealing that 3.2 million adults in working families were in relative poverty in 2015–16, what action they will take to reduce in-work poverty.

lord henley: Latest statistics to 2016 show 3.2 million working-age adults in working families living in relative low income before housing costs. This compares with 2.8 million in 2010. In terms of percentages, in 2016 this equates to 8% of all working-age adults and similarly in 2010 this was also 8% of all working-age adults. However there are currently record numbers of people in work – 2.8 million more since 2010. As a consequence, this has resulted in some increases in the number of individuals in work and in low income. We realise that some people first moving into work might be in low income in the short term. But by being in work they have the opportunity of increasing their earnings, rather than just being left to live a life on benefits. We are introducing Universal Credit and this is revolutionising the welfare system by making work pay. Universal Credit contains structural incentives to encourage people to work more and earn more. It is simple and as people’s earnings increase their payments reduce at a steady rate (there are no cliff edges), so it is clear to them that they will always be better off working and earning more. We have also increased the tax free Personal Allowance so that people can earn more and keep more of what they earn and introduced the National Living Wage. The tax-free personal allowance will be £11,500 in April 2017, a major step towards our goal of reaching £12,500 by 2021. As of April 2017, a typical basic rate taxpayer will pay over £1,000 less income tax, compared to 2010-11. This will be an income tax cut for over 30 million people and will mean taking 4 million of the lowest paid out of income tax completely during the last Parliament. The introduction of the National Living Wage, means a full-time worker previously on the national minimum wage is now £900 a year better off.‎ These changes, combined with the highest employment rate on record – mean that work continues to be the best route out of low income. Just 6% of working-age adults in households where everyone is working are in relative low income before housing costs, compared to nearly half (46%) of adults in workless households.

Children: Poverty

the lord bishop of portsmouth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the impact of the recent increase in inflation on the number of children in poverty; and what plans they have for protecting low income families against the rising cost of basic essentials.

lord henley: Impacts of the latest increase in inflation on families with children have not been estimated. However the Department’s latest Households Below Average Income statistics to 2016 published on 16th March 2017 does show how the number of children in low income households has changed with reference to inflation (the measure is called absolute low income). Since 2010, there has been a decrease of 200,000 children before housing costs (BHC) in absolute low income. After housing costs (AHC) had been taken into account, there were 100,000 fewer children in absolute low income since 2010. In terms of proportions, there have also been reductions in the rates of absolute low income on both bases - BHC down by 2 percentage points, and AHC down by 1 percentage point since 2010.

Universal Credit: Children

the lord bishop of portsmouth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many families with three or more children born before April 2017 they project will be affected by the introduction of the two-child limit on Universal Credit.

lord henley: The information requested is not available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fly-tipping

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Earl of Courtown on 8 March (HL Deb, col 1357), whether they will give further consideration to providing compensation to landowners in relation to large-scale commercial dumping of waste on private land.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is not currently considering providing compensation to landowners in relation to large-scale commercial dumping of waste on private land. Fly-tipping is unacceptable whether it occurs on public or private land. However, fly-tipping on private land is a difficult issue. Local authorities are not under any legal obligation to clear fly-tipped waste from private property, so this responsibility falls to the landowner. Some authorities may offer a clearance service but they are likely to charge for this. If, following an investigation, a conviction is secured then the court can award compensation which covers the costs of clearance of waste to the landowner.

Fisheries Convention

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 9 March (HL5592 and HL5593), and in the light of the invoking of Article 50 on 29 March, whether they intend to withdraw from the 1964 London Fisheries Convention, so that the rights of other states covered by that convention to fish in the 6–12 nautical mile zone are brought into line with the rights of non-convention EU member states following Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: We are looking very carefully at the London Fisheries Convention and at what action needs to be taken. As the Prime Minister told the House of Commons on 29 March, we hope to be able to say something about this soon.

Hare Coursing

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reported hare coursing offences there have been in each year from 2010 until the latest year for which records are available.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Home Office collects data on the number of notifiable crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales. However, hare coursing is not a notifiable offence so this information is not held centrally.

Hare Coursing

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the deterrent effect of fines for persons convicted of hare coursing, in the light of the finding by the House Commons Library that the average fine is £256.43.

lord gardiner of kimble: Under the Hunting Act 2004, an individual can receive an unlimited fine if found guilty of illegal hunting or hare coursing. Sentencing and the level of fine imposed if a person is found guilty is a matter for the courts.

Environment Protection

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to establish clear objectives for all aspects of future environmental protection in the UK; and when those objectives will be published.

lord gardiner of kimble: We are committed to being the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. We will publish a 25 year environment plan during this Parliament to support that ambition. It will build on our long history of environmental protection, and set out our future approach to managing the environment.

Home Office

Entry Clearances: India

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government for what periods in 2009 and 2010 did the then UK Border Agency stop accepting new applications for a Tier 4 (General) student visa in North India.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK Border Agency stopped accepting Tier 4 applications from North India in February 2010 owing to concerns about fraudulent applications. The rules on the policy were strengthened during 2010 and the acceptance of applications resumed in August of that year.

Entry Clearances: India

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for a Tier 4 (General) student visa from Indian nationals were refused in each year from 2006 to 2016; what was the rate of refusal; how many appeals were lodged against refusals; and what number were subsequently allowed.

baroness williams of trafford: Quarterly information on the total number of Tier 4 (General) student visas refused is published in Visa table vi_01_q, and the total number of Indian nationals refused a visa (all categories) in table vi_02_q. The latest data are in the Home Office’s ‘Immigration Statistics, October - December 2016’, (Visa data tables volume1) available from the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2016/list-of-tables#visasThe relevant tables have also been attached to this answer.



Student Visas
(Excel SpreadSheet, 28 KB)




Indian Visas
(Excel SpreadSheet, 27 KB)

Citizenship: Education

lord blunkett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what national or local (1) organisations, and (2) agencies, have been funded in the last 12 months in respect of the promotion of British values and associated work; and what guidance has been given to the Office for Standards in Education in relation to (a) inspection reporting on citizenship, British values and character building, as part of the national curriculum, and (b) the judgements made on the quality of education in both primary and secondary schools.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office’s Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) Programme was established in early 2016 to deliver Pillars 1 and 2 of the Government’s Counter Extremism Strategy (countering extremist ideology, and building a partnership with those opposed to extremism). The Programme is designed to fulfil the Government’s commitment to ‘develop a new network, linking individuals and groups around Britain who are already standing up to extremists in their communities’. Its objectives include reducing the number of people holding attitudes, beliefs and feelings that oppose shared values; an increased sense of belonging and civic participation at a local level; and more resilient communities. Fifty-three groups have been awarded support from the first round of applications under BSBT. The Home Office will announce the groups and publish details of the projects it is supporting shortly. DfE and the Home Office are jointly funding Breakthrough Media to manage the Educate Against Hate website, which aims to provide teachers, school leaders and parents with the information, guidance and support they need to challenge radical views and keep their children safe, including supporting the promotion of fundamental British values. In 27 January 2017, the Department for Education awarded a contract to the Association of Citizenship teaching to produce 6 resource packs to include high quality guidance for teachers to hold knowledge-based debates on topical issues relating to fundamental British values (democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different beliefs and those without faith), citizenship and equality. The general reporting areas for school inspection are set out in section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Within this context, HM Chief Inspector is responsible for Ofsted’s common inspection framework and school inspection handbook, which set out how inspectors consider and report on these matters. In developing the framework and handbook, the Chief Inspector takes account of Departmental guidance to schools. This includes guidance on schools’ promotion of fundamental British values.

Asylum: LGBT People

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people identified as LGBT were held in asylum detention centres for more than (1) one month, (2) two months, (3) six months, and (4) one year, over the last two years.

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in relation to those claiming asylum on the grounds of being LGBT, how many cases have not been determined after (1) one year, and (2) two years, from the date of the individual claiming asylum.

baroness williams of trafford: On 27 February 2017, the Home Office responded to an FOI request asking for information relating to detainees who identify as LGBT in the immigration detention estate. The FOI asked for information relating to detainees who identify as LGBT in the immigration detention estate. These questions concerns asylum seekers, who have been recorded as being LGBT, and the numbers held in detention and the time taken to determine their asylum claims. The data you have requested in relation to LGBT asylum seekers over the last 2 years is not readily available. The required information would only be recorded in the case notes sections within the Home Office database or held solely on the paper files. The time required to examine individual cases and extrapolate the required data would exceed the cost limit. We are currently reviewing how and when to publish information on LGBT asylum claims though no decision has yet been taken regarding either a final timetable or the methodology of any such release.

HM Treasury

Transfer Pricing: Statistics

lord harries of pentregarth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discontinued the publication of annual Transfer Pricing statistics; and if so, why.

baroness neville-rolfe: HM Revenue and Customs has not discontinued the publication of these statistics. The Department intends to publish the transfer pricing statistics shortly.

Advance Pricing Agreements

lord harries of pentregarth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Advance Thin Capitalisation Agreements (1) were agreed, and (2) were in force, in (a) 2014–15, and (b) 2015–16.

lord harries of pentregarth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average time to reach an Advance Thin Capitalisation Agreement in (1) 2014–15, and (2) 2015–16.

lord harries of pentregarth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long it took to agree 50 per cent of Advance Thin Capitalisation Agreements in (1) 2014–15, and (2) 2015–16.

baroness neville-rolfe: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) intends to publish Advanced Thin Capitalisation Agreement statistics in due course as part of a wider publication of data relating to HMRC’s work on collecting tax owed to the UK.

Advance Pricing Agreements

lord harries of pentregarth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total volume of intra-group loans (1) for which Advance Thin Capitalisation Agreements (ATCAs) applied, and (2) in relation to which new ATCAs came into force, in each year since 2010.

lord harries of pentregarth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was (1) the weighted average interest rate for intra-group loans under Advance Thin Capitalisation Agreements (ATCAs), and (2) the average level of taxable profits to which ATCA-related tax relief applied, in each year since 2010.

baroness neville-rolfe: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold this information in a form which allows it to be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Children

the lord bishop of portsmouth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that potential claimants are aware of the introduction of the two-child limit on Child Tax Credit and the child element of Universal Credit.

baroness neville-rolfe: Claimants were alerted to the policy changes at the time they were announced by high level messaging on the GOV.UK website in 2015. Tax credits claimants were informed about the upcoming policy change in a letter that was sent with their renewals notices between April and June 2016. A follow up flyer will go out in all new claims packs and renewals packs from April 2017. In August 2016 high level amendments were made to the GOV.UK website’s information about Child Tax Credit to advise potential claimants about these changes. Further details were published as part of a consultation in October 2016 and in response to the consultation in January 2017. HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have also worked with representative bodies and stakeholders who will be able to advise claimants about the changes. All tax credits products (for example, award notices, leaflets, and supporting notes) have been updated with a high level message outlining the new policy. DWP will offer support to claimants through Jobcentres by trained staff as needed.

Cabinet Office

Peers: Public Appointments

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a moratorium on the appointment of new peers by the House of Lords Appointment Commission; whether the Commission has recommended any new peers since the last set of appointments in October 2015; and whether it plans to appoint any new peers in 2017.

lord young of cookham: There has been no change to the appointments process, which is that appointments to the House of Lords continue to be made by the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. This includes those nominations for non party political peerages made on the advice of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. There have been no changes made to the Commission's remit. Any future announcements about appointments to the House of Lords will be made in the usual way.

Department for International Trade

Foreign Investment in UK

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UK's exit from the EU, whether they are planning to introduce primary legislation dealing with foreign investment in UK companies.

lord price: Until the UK leaves the EU, we will remain subject to EU trade and investment agreements and policy. We will in due course consider all options in the design of future bilateral trade and investment agreements.

Trade Promotion: Bosnia and Herzegovina

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote trade between the UK and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

lord price: According to the latest data from the FCO Economics Unit (2015), UK exports (goods and services) to Bosnia and Herzegovina were £57 million with UK imports reaching £53 million in 2015. (Data for 2016 will be published in April). In FY 2017/18 the HMG team based in Sarajevo will continue to promote trade opportunities across the mining, oil and gas, retail, infrastructure and security sectors which will include a series of tailored events in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the UK and across the wider Central and Eastern European region.

Overseas Investment: Bosnia and Herzegovina

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of economic opportunities for British business for investment and partnership in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

lord price: There are a number of economic opportunities in Bosnia and Herzegovina for UK investors, with software development, mining and oil exploration identified as particular sectors of opportunity. However, HMG also recognises that for more investment to succeed Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to make significant improvements to its business environment, including tackling excess regulation and increasing transparency around public procurement and licensing. The UK is funding projects to improve the business environment by simplifying the process of setting up a business and moving to a 'one-stop' shop system.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the minutes of 9 March 2017 of the Licence Committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regarding babies born following pronuclear transfer between embryos, what procedures are in place to (1) identify whether a child born following pronuclear transfer is born with (a) a mitochondrial disease, (b) a genetic or epigenetic abnormality, (c) a birth defect, or (d) some other adverse outcome, (2) notify the HFEA in cases of any such adverse outcome, and (3) identify any such adverse outcome and notify the HFEA where consent for follow-up has not been granted.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that, as set out in Guidance Note 33 of the Authority’s code of practice, centres carrying out mitochondrial donation are required to have documented processes in place setting out how the health of children born from mitochondrial donation will be followed up. A copy of Guidance Note 33 is attached. If the centre becomes aware that any child born as a result of mitochondrial donation has a mitochondrial disease, birth defect, genetic abnormality or if there has been any other adverse outcome, the centre must report this to the HFEA in accordance with the adverse incidents requirements set out in Guidance Note 27 of the code of practice. A copy of Guidance Note 27 is attached.



Guidance Note 33
(PDF Document, 449.25 KB)




Guidance Note 27
(PDF Document, 395.06 KB)

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

baroness ludford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much it costs the NHS, including labour costs, to produce each European Health Insurance Card.

baroness ludford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for the European Health Insurance Card are rejected each year due to fraudulent details being submitted.

baroness ludford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for the European Health Insurance Card are rejected each year due to incomplete or false details being submitted.

baroness ludford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claims the NHS receives each year for payments from hospitals in other EU member states that come from patients ineligible for a European Health Insurance Card, and what is the value of such claims.

baroness ludford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claims for payment from the NHS received by hospitals in other EU member states are rejected each year, and what is the value of such claims.

baroness ludford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claims from hospitals in other EU member states the NHS has paid where it knows the patient is ineligible for a European Health Insurance Card, but has nevertheless secured one.

lord o'shaughnessy: The unit cost of an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is approximately 72 pence. This amount is inclusive of labour and all infrastructure costs. Information on how many applications for EHICs are rejected due to fraudulent, incomplete or false details being submitted is not held centrally. The Department, on behalf of the United Kingdom Government, rather than the National Health Service reimburses other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland for the cost of providing treatment to people we are responsible for under European Union law, based on pension and benefit eligibility, and irrespective of nationality. In the same way, other EEA countries and Switzerland reimburse the Department, on behalf of the UK Government, for the cost of the NHS providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, irrespective of nationality and including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland. Information on how many claims from hospitals in other EEA member states the Department has paid, and their value, where it knew the patient was ineligible for an EHIC is not held centrally. Due to the complexities associated with the collection and aggregation of information on costs and treatment, claims for EEA medical costs are typically submitted by EEA member states (including the UK) up to three, and sometimes more, years in arrears. There is then a further, and often significant, time lag between the receipt of the claim and its payment due to the lengthy process of scrutinising and then accepting or rejecting a claim by another member state. Therefore, any figures for rejected claims may not represent a final, accurate picture for any 12-month period.

Primodos

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 28 March (HL6261), whether the Expert Working Group on Hormonal Pregnancy Tests will review the reasons why tests on Primodos, which remained on the market until 1978 despite the publication of a study in 1967 indicating a causal relationship between hormonal pregnancy tests and congenital abnormalities, were not ordered by the Committee for the Safety of Medicines under the Medicines Act 1971.

lord o'shaughnessy: The terms of reference of the Expert Working Group on Hormonal Pregnancy Tests are focused on a scientific review of the strength of evidence for a possible association between exposure in pregnancy to hormonal pregnancy tests and adverse outcomes in pregnancy. An important part of the Group’s work is to consider what lessons may be learnt for further improving existing regulatory systems to identify, monitor and minimise any adverse effects of medicines in pregnancy.Records show that the Committee on Safety of Drugs (subsequently the Committee on Safety of Medicines) carefully considered the results of the 1967 study and considered the methodology to be flawed.In 1969, the Committee on Safety of Drugs requested the manufacturers of hormonal pregnancy tests to provide all relevant laboratory data and initiated their own long-term study of maternal drug histories in mothers of children with birth defects. In 1970, the Standing Committee on the Classification of Proprietary Medicines (the ‘MacGregor Committee’) asked Schering, the then licence holder, to remove ‘diagnosis of pregnancy’ from the indications for Primodos.

In Vitro Fertilisation

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to paragraphs 2.8, 2.9 and 3.17 of the minutes of 9 March 2017 of the Licence Committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, regarding the follow-up of children born following pronuclear transfer between embryos, who is responsible for the follow-up programme in NHS England; what health, genetic and epigenetic parameters are to be measured; what assessment they have made of the potential for long-term medical problems to only become evident after five years of age; whether they intend to conduct follow-ups beyond five years of age; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the full documented processes that are in place setting out how follow-ups will be carried out.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that the guidance on the follow up of any children born following mitochondrial donation is set out in paragraph 33.33 in Guidance Note 33 of the Authority’s code of practice. This requires the centre to have a documented process setting out how children born from mitochondrial donation will be followed up, where the patients have consented to follow-up. These should include long-term medical follow-up of the children born. A copy of Guidance Note 33 is attached. NHS England has agreed funding of £8 million over five years for an evaluative commissioning programme of mitochondrial donation, working closely with the partner organisations such as the Wellcome Trust.



Guidance Note 33
(PDF Document, 449.25 KB)

Hospitals: Nurses

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to ensure that patients staying overnight in hospitals always have access to professional nursing support.

lord o'shaughnessy: Appropriate staffing levels are a core element of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) registration regime. All providers of regulated activities must be registered with the CQC and meet the registration requirements. The 16 safety and quality requirements include a requirement to take steps to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff employed at all times. In July 2016, the National Quality Board published Supporting NHS providers to deliver the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time: Safe, sustainable and productive staffing. This safe staffing improvement resource provides an updated set of expectations for nursing and midwifery care staffing, to help National Health Service provider boards make local decisions that will support the delivery of high quality care for patients within the available staffing resource. There are over 12,100 (7.5%) more nurses on our wards, acute, elderly and general, since May 2010. A copy of Supporting NHS providers to deliver the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time: Safe, sustainable and productive staffing is attached. 



National Quality Board - safe staffing resource
(PDF Document, 424.81 KB)

Accident and Emergency Departments: General Practitioners

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many general practitioner surgeries are operating within A&E departments on a 24/7 basis.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not held centrally. There are several different models of co-located services; urgent care centres, walk-in centres, minor injuries units and other clinics, which exist across the National Health Service in England and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with all systems to ensure there is streaming to primary care (and other specialities) from emergency departments as standard. The specific models implemented will vary depending on local circumstances. The 2017 spring Budget announced capital investment of £100 million for front door streaming at accident and emergency departments. This will help provide space for services to allow streaming, such as on-site general practice facilities, to which non-urgent patients can be directed to access more appropriate care quickly and safely.

Department of Health: ICT

baroness wheeler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the Data Services Platform which is being developed by the Department of Health's arm's-length bodies to standardise the collection of health and social care performance and costing data.

lord o'shaughnessy: The delivery of the Data Services Platform (DSP) is on-going as part of NHS Digital’s Personalised Health and Care 2020 Programme. The business case for the DSP is currently being finalised and NHS Digital are expected to seek approval for this shortly.

NHS: Reorganisation

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend that rural proofing will be applied to the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England is aware of Rural proofing: practical guidance to assess impacts of policies on rural areas, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in March 2017. All Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) build on the Five Year Forward View to present an overall strategy for their geographic footprint and identify the three to five key priorities required to realise their vision. This should take account of specific challenges facing each area, which could include a dispersed, rural population. STPs have been in the public domain for several months. Partner organisations within each area are engaging both rural and urban communities on their plans and, where required by law, consulting on service change. NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to provide ongoing support to each STP area. In September 2016, they published Engaging Local People: A guide for local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans, which set out how STP areas should reach out to stakeholders in their areas. A copy of the guidance is attached. The NHS is exploring ways to better adapt health provision for rural areas. For example, the vanguard covering Morecambe Bay Health Community is improving healthcare in a geographically isolated area by using a high definition telemedicine link between a general practitioner (GP) surgery in Millom and the accident and emergency (A&E) department in Barrow-in-Furness. This means when GPs can seek a second opinion as to whether a patient needs intensive treatment or can be treated in the community – they can call through and have an A&E specialist examine the patient. This means that over the 1,000 square miles that Morecambe Bay covers, patients can have access to expert opinion without having to travel further than their nearest GP. On 31 March, Next steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View was published by NHS England. The document outlined a 10-point care and efficiency plan which will further contribute to improving the health outcomes of those living in rural areas. A copy of this document is attached.



Engaging Local People
(PDF Document, 489.66 KB)




Next Steps on the Five Year Forward View
(PDF Document, 1.62 MB)

Nurses: Migrant Workers

lord cooper of windrush: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of nurses employed within the NHS in England who are citizens of other EU countries and have resigned from their posts since 24 June 2016.

lord cooper of windrush: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of (1) hospital doctors and consultants, and (2) general practitioners, employed within the NHS in England who are citizens of other EU countries and have resigned from their posts since 24 June 2016.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not available. NHS Digital can provide estimates of numbers leaving the National Health Service in England in the Hospital and Community Health Service by nationality, but cannot readily identify the reasons for leaving, such as resignation. General practitioners’ country of Primary Medical Qualification can be identified, but further details by nationality are not available.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of air pollutants in the home on people’s health.

lord o'shaughnessy: Indoor air is affected by outdoor air pollution and by indoor sources such as tobacco smoke, scented candles and other household products. Further research is needed into how people are exposed to different sources of household air pollution to quantify its effect on health.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of poor ventilation on people’s health.

lord o'shaughnessy: Public Health England has made no assessment of the effect of poor ventilation on people’s health.

Chemicals: Health Hazards

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of (1) limonene, and (2) pinene, on people’s health.

lord o'shaughnessy: The chemicals used in air fresheners such as limonene and pinene are regulated under consumer product safety legislation and as long as the products are used as recommended by the manufacturers and under adequate ventilation conditions, they are unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

Hepatitis

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 22 March (HL5975), what steps they are taking to ensure that more precise figures on the number of people with undiagnosed Hepatitis C are made available.

lord o'shaughnessy: Most recent estimates suggest that around 160,000 people in England are living with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection. Published figures of the number who remain undiagnosed are not available although surveillance data and modelling are used to generate estimates for healthcare planning assumptions.An estimate of the proportion of people who inject drugs who are diagnosed can be obtained from the Public Health England survey entitled Data tables of the Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey of HIV and Hepatitis in People Who Inject Drugs. A copy of this survey is attached.In this survey, only around one half of people injecting psychoactive drugs sampled are aware of their HCV antibody positive status (53% in 2015), and this figure has remained relatively stable at this level (averaging 52%) over the past decade.



PHE Survey - Data Tables
(PDF Document, 718.35 KB)

Public Sector: Leadership

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the possible benefits to the national health and police services of encouraging good leadership and psychological wellbeing within those services.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department considers good leadership and psychological wellbeing within the National Health Service in England is essential to delivering excellent patient care. This is the responsibility of each individual NHS organisation. Good leadership is required at every level of the NHS. Trusts which the Care Quality Commission considers to have outstanding leadership are much more likely to be rated outstanding overall; effective, values driven leadership delivers high-quality care. The NHS Leadership Academy provides development and support to people working in the NHS and aims to improve leadership behaviours and skills across the service. In respect of psychological wellbeing, NHS England is leading an initiative to improve the overall health and wellbeing of NHS staff which includes, for example, access to mental health talking therapies. They have also made available Commissioning for Quality and Innovation incentive payments to encourage trusts to improve the physical and mental health support provided to their staff. The Department continues to commission NHS Employers to support the NHS in improving staff health and wellbeing through advice, guidance and good practice including, for example, their online-only How are you feeling NHS? Toolkit which should help staff check their own emotional wellbeing or speak to and support colleagues with theirs. The Department has not made an assessment of leadership and wellbeing in the police service.

Housing: Standards

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost to the NHS of people living in poor housing.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department has not estimated the cost to the National Health Service of people living in poor housing.

Primodos

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 28 March (HL6261), whether they will meet with Marie Lyon and representatives of the Primodos victims support group.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 28 March (HL6261), whether the Expert Working Group on Hormonal Pregnancy Tests will review (1) the terms of reference of (a) the Committee on the Safety of Medicines, and (b) the Metabolic Research Unit, when determining what lessons may be learnt for further improving existing regulatory systems to identify, monitor and minimise any adverse effects of medicines in pregnancy, (2) the need to assemble and assess reports of adverse reactions to drugs trials, and (3) how ministers should be advised of the outcomes of those trials.

lord o'shaughnessy: One of the terms of reference of the Expert Working Group on Hormonal Pregnancy Tests is to consider what lessons may be learnt for further improving existing regulatory systems to identify, monitor and minimise any adverse effects of medicines in pregnancy. The regulatory, legal and social landscape has changed significantly since hormonal pregnancy tests were on the market; many of these changes have been driven by previous experience. The Group will consider the processes and tools that were available to the United Kingdom regulator when hormonal pregnancy tests were on the market and make recommendations for any changes necessary to further improve the capability of current regulatory systems to identify, monitor and minimise any adverse effects of medicines in pregnancy. This will include all aspects of medicines regulation, from the assessment of safety pre-authorisation to communication of an identified risk.There has been continued engagement with the Association for Children Damaged by Hormonal Pregnancy Tests throughout the Expert Working Group review process. I am meeting the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests and representatives of the Association in the near future.